Company Launches New System Meant to Train Police Officers on Force Decisions

Talon Global, a company specializing in force training for law enforcement officers, has put together a system that will help train officers how to use force prevention tactics.

Dealing with the public requires a far different approach than dealing with an adversary in an octagon. The scenarios are not parallel, and the mindset toward program development must reflect that.

Detroit, MI (PRWEB) September 04, 2014

Although many law enforcement departments spend thousands of dollars on equipment, most only spend four to eight hours annually training officers on the physical use of force. Talon Global, which specializes in training for law enforcement and military professionals, has launched a new program aimed at providing officers with additional training on ways of reducing incidents with the public, without the use of physical force.

Besides the sheer lack of time spent on training, a major problem with the status quo of police force management training is the current popularity of mixed martial arts, Talon Global President Eric Kohtz believes. Individual police departments tend to assign the officer with the most outside combat training to lead the department’s training, which changes with the popularity of fighting styles – in the 1970s and 1980s, the most popular styles were Judo, Karate, and Aikido. Today, with the growing popularity of Ultimate Fighting, mixed martial arts (MMA) combat is typically taught. According to Kohtz, MMA used in law enforcement training has disastrous effects.

“I really don’t blame the individual instructors who are teaching MMA style of fighting,” said Kohtz. “They are simply implementing the drilling patterns they know the most about, and right now those are predominantly from the MMA culture.” An MMA combat style assumes there are two opponents and fails to acknowledge that, in a law enforcement situation, many acts of force are used to actually prevent combat. “Dealing with the public requires a far different approach than dealing with an adversary in an octagon,” said Kohtz. “The scenarios are not parallel, and the mindset toward program development must reflect that.”

A better approach to improving law enforcement’s interaction with the public would be to fund police departments’ management of force training, helping to prepare police officers for the multiple physical interactions they have with the public on a daily basis, according to the Talon Global president. Currently, funding for education on how to deal with force on its most basic level is scarce, and departments are almost completely on their own when paying for hands-on use of force training.

Appropriate training, like Talon’s Force Management Method, takes into account the initial desire to prevent the use of force. “If physical contact must be made, then an appropriate series of techniques are certainly required, reflecting a more managed approach.” For more information about Talon Global’s Force Management Method, visit http://www.ForcePrevention.com.